


Loved

by Miz_Spectre



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Reader-Insert, possible OOC for Ace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 14:05:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5747260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miz_Spectre/pseuds/Miz_Spectre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone wants to be.  Even you, who struggles with each and every step.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loved

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is an AU so the events of One Piece will not necessarily happen here (anyone past the Marineford Arc (chapter 580/episode 489), you all know what I'm talking about). There's one crucial clue in the chapter to prove that.
> 
> This is AU - the same AU as Sanji's fic (In Sickness and Health). For those who didn't read that, here's a brief description: Gold City; named for the man who became known as Gold Roger, an explorer who stumbled upon a large deposit of gold and other precious materials. It was a boom town on the coast that grew into a vast city rich with natural resources that came to encompass the land of the native people who were there long before Roger's discovery. Under the modern city is an underground network, home to the underbelly and darker doings - a city beneath a city. 
> 
> I have the OOC warning for a reason - we don't get to see much romance (if any) in One Piece and so I had to be creative with Ace. Note that this chapter takes place about a year/year and a half into his and reader's relationship. I should also note here that the reader (and Takeshi) is a part of the tribe of the native people.
> 
> The title and summary are inspired by the lyrics:  
> "I've got one confession  
> A love deprivation  
> I've got a jet black heart  
> It's all fucked up and it's falling apart
> 
> I've got another confession  
> I fell to temptation  
> And there is no question  
> There was some connection  
> I've got to follow by heart  
> No matter how far  
> I've gotta roll the dice"
> 
> They're from "...To Be Loved" by Papa Roach. You can read the lyrics for the whole song [here](http://www.lyrics.com/to-be-loved-lyrics-papa-roach.html). The ones above are the most fitting as opposed to the song as a whole.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

The first thing you realize with your mildly painful waking is that you're somehow on the floor and not in your bed, which is a very unusual occurrence. You're a grown woman; you don't just fall out of bed. Your hip and shoulder ache from being landed on as you roll to your back and sit up. Your skin is damp with sweat and your body too warm for comfort. Your heart is pumping hard and fast and your breathing quick. 

You squint through the darkness of your room, quickly taking in the familiar, shadowy shapes of your furniture and the like, searching for anything that seemed out of place. The smell of sweat and laundry detergent is strong. Over your laboring breaths and pounding heartbeat, you can hear music playing softly just down the hall in the living room - what was Takeshi still doing up? You swallow hard but your mouth is still uncomfortably dry. 

This neurotic, energized feeling despite having just been asleep is something that's all too familiar from your childhood but hasn't plagued you in a long time. 

You had a nightmare. 

It is all too similar with the same soul-deep fear as those from your childhood once held, but with one key difference that sets your mind to panic and leaves your heart heavy in your chest: In this nightmare, it's Ace who's suffering, _dying_ , before your eyes, and you are powerless to reach him, to help him, to save him.

With a shaky breath and equally shaky legs, you get to your feet and head for the door leading into the hallway. After pulling it open and stepping into the hall, you walk to the bathroom and shut the door behind you.

Flicking on the light switch, you wince and squint at yourself in the mirror. Your gaze flicks everywhere, never resting in one place long. Your face is pale and ashen-looking in the harsh light. Your hair is a veritable bird's nest and you tame it with a brush as best you can while adjusting to the brightness of the bathroom light. To quell the dryness of your mouth, a swish of mouthwash does wonders and leaves your breath minty fresh. The air conditioner kicks on and the cool air blowing out of the vent chills your heated, sweaty skin. With a shiver, you flick the bathroom light off, blinking for a moment to readjust to the sudden darkness, and open the door, walking out into the hall and back to your room. 

The urge to call Ace, no matter what the time, is one you don't fight. You need to hear his voice, to know he was okay and probably annoyed at being woken up in the middle of the night, even if it is you calling. The backlight of your phone isn't as harsh as the bathroom light but it still makes you squint for a moment.

It's 1:27 a.m.

You got barely over an hour of sleep.

With a sigh, you bend and snag the sheet from the floor where you'd dragged it with you when you fell, dropping it on your bed beside you as you sit on the edge. Pressing a button to light up your cell phone again, you then open your contact list, find Ace's name, and hit send, holding the phone to your ear. 

The nightmare plays over and over in your head. Darkness everywhere you turn, thick and stifling, weighing down heavily on you. Searing heat and the roar of fire in your ears. Ace lying bloody, broken, deathly still. And then you remember: it's only been two weeks since the failed attempt on Thatch's life.

Your blood runs cold and dread settles heavily in your stomach. Your grip on your phone tightens to the point of pain.

Why isn't he _picking up_ -

"Yo, this is Ace! Sorry I didn't answer your call; leave a message-" 

You hang up. 

Voicemail. 

To _hell_ with it; you were going over there now.

You shuck your sweaty shirt and pull on the nearest pair of shorts and a clean shirt. You find your purse in the dark and tuck your phone into it, nearly flinging your bedroom door open in your rush to leave. 

"Where's the fire, sis?" Takeshi's question makes you freeze. He's standing in the hall, blocking your way to the living room, dark hair pulled away from his face and into a small, low ponytail. One hand is casually tucked in a pocket of his baggy khaki shorts and the other hanging by his side, but his dark eyebrows are drawn close together and his vibrant blue eyes search your expression while he waits for you to answer. 

Your gaze drops to the carpet. "I have to see Ace," you spit out, mouth feeling dry again. 

"Did something happen?" 

You shake your head. "No. I just... need to see him." 

Takeshi moves forward, his arms encircling your shoulders and pressing you to his chest. "A nightmare?" The tremble of your body is all too telling and he soothingly rubs one hand up and down your back. Your arms finally wrap around his waist, clenching his white T-shirt in your fists and anchoring yourself to him tightly. "One of those nightmares," he murmurs in your hair. He is quiet for a few moments, knowing that you simply need to be near someone, before his hands rest gently on your shoulders. "I'll take you over there, but pack an overnight bag first."

With a nod, you release his shirt and turn back to your room. After flicking on the light, you find a beach bag and throw in a bra and underwear, shirt, shorts, and your purse. Flipping the light off, you leave the door open as you step out into the hallway once again. 

Takeshi is there to meet you, handing over your hairbrush and a travel makeup bag with the essentials.

A smile tugs at one corner of your mouth. "Thanks." You stuff them into the beach tote as well. 

Takeshi's lips quirk in return and he pulls his car keys from his pocket. "Let's go." 

 

It's only been 15 minutes into the 45 minute drive it takes to get to Ace's, but so far Takeshi has stayed silent, the radio left to play quietly. You're too anxious and preoccupied staring out of the window to feel awkward, clutching your cell phone, hoping that Ace will call before you get there. Your hope thus far has gone unfulfilled. 

"Try calling him again."

Takeshi's voice makes you jerk in your seat and you turn your head to stare at him. "What?"

"Call him again," he repeats. "You'll break your phone if you hold it any tighter." 

You drop it into your lap and cross your arms over your stomach, pointedly looking back out of the passenger window and _not_ calling Ace as Takeshi had said. 

"Is this all because of what almost happened to Thatch?"

You tense. How like your brother to know what eats at you after years of seeing nightmares about your parents terrorize you. Slouching down in your seat, you let out a shaky breath. "... Probably." 

He says nothing more, staying quiet for the remaining span of the drive while you pretend to stare at the surrounding scenery though your mind was elsewhere. 

Takeshi eases the older model car up to the curb in front of the pricey high-rise apartment building, shifting into park as you unbuckle your seatbelt, snatch your phone from your lap and bend down to slip it into your beach bag while opening the door with your other hand. 

You have one foot out of the car when you pause and look back at him as he stares at the windshield with his brow furrowed and a downward tilt of his lips. He's been unusually quiet the whole time. "Takeshi." 

He turns his head in your direction, the slight frown disappearing and his eyebrows rising, "Hm?" 

You lean over and hug him, one arm about his waist and the other around his shoulder. "Thanks," you murmur into his ear. "And stop worrying," you add, "you knew this was going to happen sometime after the news about Thatch." 

Takeshi's arms envelop you, squeezing tight for a moment. "You're my little sis, I'm always going to worry about you." 

"You're not that much older than me," you protest half-heartedly, drawing a chuckle from him.

"Still older though." He draws back from your hug, nodding to the building behind you. "Go on. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," you nod in return, picking up your bag. "See you." 

You climb out of the car and shut the door, slinging your bag over your shoulder as you hurry to the front doors of the building, digging the key card Ace had given you out of your bag. Sliding it through the reader, you hurry through the doors before they locked you out. An expensive high-rise apartment like Ace's could afford such fancy access for any of the residents wanting in or out of the building at such a late hour.

You wave to Takeshi, key card still in hand, and watch as he finally drives off. You wait until his car is out of sight to cross the spacious lobby, your sandals slapping softly on the tile. You pass the tastefully arranged neutral-colored furniture of the reception and waiting area for potential tenants without much thought. 

The security guard's empty desk makes you pause. The hallway and management office behind it are dark, so where is the guard? Of course, the worst possibilities come to mind, but he is one of the many employed by Whitebeard (the security service is provided to the manager at a steep discount because Ace lives here) and probably just doing rounds in the stairwells or taking a break. Whitebeard's employees aren't lax and if something had happened, there would be one hell of a commotion by now. 

You take a deep breath and force yourself to keep going toward the elevators, passing the four frequently used ones for the private one that went up to the top floor apartment. You needed to get up there; at this rate, you'd drive yourself crazy before you even got to see him. The whole point of coming to see him was to calm down, not wind yourself up more. You stop in front of the door, pressing the up button to summon the elevator, and avoid looking at your no doubt exhausted reflection in the shiny surface of the door by focusing on your feet.

The _ding_ of the elevator arriving draws your stare upward as the door slides open. You slip inside as soon as there's enough room and push the button to close the door. The button panel in this elevator is small - the only buttons are for opening and closing the door, the underground parking structure, the lobby, and the top floor. Next to the panel is another card reader - the key card also operates the elevator from the inside. You slide the card through the reader, dropping it into your bag, and press the button for the top floor, swaying slightly as the elevator begins its ascent.

A few deep breathing exercises are distracting enough from your nervousness that the _ding_ of the elevator reaching the top floor makes you jump. 

The door slides open once more and you stand there for a moment, eyes scanning over the entry way. There is just enough visibility from the dim light left on in the kitchen. Ace's boots and Luffy's sandals are in haphazard pairs to your right at the end of the wooden floor that led into the living room. A couple of shirts (you can't tell whose) bend the fake potted plant opposite the elevator at a severe angle almost parallel to the floor. A few mismatched socks are also scattered in a zigzag trail leading into the living room. 

Nothing out of the ordinary here.

The door begins to shut and you press the button for it to open, stepping out of the elevator into the entry way when you have enough room.

The living room is in a slightly cleaner state of disarray - the cushions on the sofa are all a little out of place (as if they were hurriedly put back) and there are video game controllers piled in front of the large entertainment system. The disjointed trail of socks leads over the couch and to Luffy's room. His door is wide open and you can hear his sleepy mutterings about something or other (food, what else?). 

One side of your mouth quirks upward in a lopsided smile as you slip off your sandals next to their shoes and move further into the apartment.

Aside from the random clothing littered about and the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, the apartment is otherwise clean. One would think the two living here would have the place a mess given their love of having fun but they're hardly home to do much aside from sleep.

You move toward the open door of the other bedroom, leaving your bag on the couch as you pass it. You pause in the doorway, letting your eyes adjust to the darkness ahead where the dim light of the kitchen can't quite reach by watching Ace sleep for a few moments. He's lying flat on his back in the middle of the large bed, the light-colored sheet twisted around his waist and legs with his bare feet sticking out and threatening to hang over the edge of the mattress. You can make out his right arm thrown up over the pillows while the left is simply at his side. His naked chest rises and falls slowly with steady, shallow breaths. You're fairly sure that dark head of hair is mussed from sleep, but it's hard to tell from here. In such poor light, there's no way you're able to see the dusting of freckles across his cheeks. It's silly how something like not being able to see them makes your heart twinge. It isn't as if not seeing them means they've vanished from his face.

Brushing off the feeling, you quietly make your way over to one side of the bed. There's a moment's hesitation at waking him before you reach out to gently shake his shoulder. Your arm is grabbed roughly before you can even touch him and you're jerked forward, forced to plant your other hand on the bed to avoid falling face first because your knees hit the side of the mattress. You twist your arm to try breaking the tight hold which doesn't budge and freeze when there's a fiery fist mere inches from your face, eyes squeezing shut from the brightness of it so close. Your nose wrinkles from the sharp burning smell that accompanies the use of Ace's Devil Fruit.

"Didn't think you guys would keep trying after your boss messed up a couple weeks ago-" Ace stops mid sentence upon registering who he's threatening and the hand holding tightly to your arm instantly relaxes. "It's you. I didn't hurt you did I?" His voice returns to the easygoing tone you're familiar with.

"No," you shake your head.

The sensation of heat fades and your eyes open to find him sitting up in bed, the sheet pooling around his hips. The hand that had once been nothing but fire is no longer so close to your face and flesh once more save the tip of his index finger. The tiny flame gives off just enough light in the darkness of the bedroom to illuminate his face and your lips curl into a slight smile at the sight of the freckles on his cheeks. Ace belatedly covers a huge yawn with his free hand before running it through his messy dark hair while blinking and then rubbing away some of the sleep in his eyes.

He scoots over in bed to be slightly off to one side of the middle, watching you watching him and sporting that infamous grin he shares with Luffy. "What are you smiling about?" You question, not moving to join him even when he pats the mattress beside him as an invitation.

"This is the first time you've come over without me or Luffy inviting you." 

"It's-" you glance at the clock on the bedside table, "two-twenty in the morning." 

Ace's grin stays put. "Doesn't matter." He holds up the sheet just enough for you catch a glimpse of his dark-colored boxers. "Come on, there's plenty of room." 

You climb into his bed and his fingertip goes back to normal flesh, leaving the two of you in the dark once more. The sheet rustles as you both move around to get comfortable. You end up facing one another, legs tangled together, your arms curled between your bodies while Ace has one beneath his head and the other draped over your waist, keeping you near. His body is warm and despite it being nearly mid-summer, you snuggle even closer, bracing your hands on his chest, and he holds you a little tighter. A deep breath draws in the scents of clean linen from the sheets and Ace's cologne, something warm and spicy which is strangely complimentary to the faint scorching smell still lingering behind from when his fist had been aflame.

"So," his breath stirs your hair as he speaks, "why'd I get a visit at two-twenty in the morning?"

You're grateful for the darkness - it hides your grimace at the question. There's no avoiding answering either; Ace, like Takeshi, seems to have this sense when you're troubled. "A nightmare," you finally murmur.

"Your parents?" He asks quietly.

"No," you shake your head a bit.

Ace's arm around you withdraws until his hand finds your elbow. It trails upward along your arm, following the curve of your shoulder to your neck, brushes along your jaw, and then to your cheek where his fingers rest. His thumb slides a bit further, stopping on your lips. "Me?"

The words just won't come out. The tightening of your jaw and the tremble of your lips is telling enough, surely, but you manage a nod anyway. Ace knows how bad your nightmares can be - and that while the frequency of them has dropped a lot in the past handful of years, some things can trigger them. However, this is the first time you've ever had a nightmare about him.

The pillow rustles as he moves and then both of his hands are cupping your face, tilting your head slightly upward. You can feel the space between you shrink as he leans in, your noses brushing and his forehead resting against yours. "Whatever you saw, it was just a dream. I'm here; I won't leave you. I didn't leave when you kept turning me down," you hear the smile in Ace's voice and manage a shaky one in return despite him not being able to see it, "and I'm not going anywhere now without a fight."

His words, plain and straightforward, are reassuring and true. Your repeated refusals couldn't deter him when he first tried getting to know you - he just kept coming back after each and every one. You also know he's strong, having seen him brawl quite a few times as well as sparring with him yourself once or twice (you were no match). Gently, you slide your hands up his chest and neck to hold his face in your hands, mirroring his grasp on you. "Yeah," you murmur, brushing your fingertips back and forth across his cheekbones, "guess I'm stuck with you." 

Ace chuckles, not offended in the least, and affectionately rubs his nose against yours. "Yep." One hand withdraws from your face and his arm that had been around you finds its previous place, his fingers gently toying with the ends of your hair.

You're lucky to still have him in your life. He's had plenty of chances to walk away but stayed with you. "Thank you," you whisper, tilting your head to press a kiss against his lips.

There's a moment of nothing but the fierce pound of your heart and then, "For what?"

"Everything." 

His thumb softly strokes your cheek. "You're welcome." His mouth presses softly against yours in return. You can feel that adorable grin spread across his lips which brush yours when he speaks again. "Giving me a chance turned out all right after all." 

You're unable to stop yourself from smiling at the gentle touch and what he says. It brings up some memories that are fond now, though they were less so at the time. "Mhmm," you hum in agreement, "it's lucky for you Takeshi was on your side and convinced me." 

Ace stiffens and makes a choked sound, fingers going limp in your hair as he pulls away from you a bit. You're grateful it's dark or his bewildered expression would only make you more uncomfortable for teasing him and apologize. "Wh- but- then everything I said that day...?" 

"It helped," you admit, "but I was just as stubborn about ignoring you as you were about getting my attention."

The small whine-like sound that follows is from him. "You were just going to let me keep trying?"

"I told you no but you wouldn't give up," you refresh his memory.

"So you weren't even going to give me a chance; it was your brother who got you to finally say yes to me." Now he's pouting - you can feel the slight puff of his cheeks beneath your hands which are still cupping his face.

You were _terrible_ at this lighthearted teasing stuff; you were just making him feel bad and yourself feel worse. "No, _you_ got me to say yes," you insist, pushing closer until your forehead bumps his lightly.

Several frightening seconds of nothing but your heart thundering in your chest pass. What will he say to that? Will he even believe you? It's true that Takeshi and a few others were pushing you to just let Ace have a chance and even Dr. Takahashi had a large part in nudging you to it as well since it caused a spike in the number of your visits to her office, but ultimately the choice of yes or no had been yours. 

Lifting your hands from his face, you draw them back to your chest, balling them into fists so tight that the impressions from your nails will likely leave bruises. "Ace...?" Your whisper is almost inaudible even in the quiet and you grit your teeth at how _scared_ you sound.

His hand against your cheek twitches before both of his hands are on your shoulders and he pushes you onto your back, the sheet rustling as he shifts to hover over you, effectively trapping you between his body and the bed. By now, your heart is beating so hard that it's likely to break your ribs and explode out of your chest at any moment. He is the only person who can fluster you in both good and bad ways which only makes your anxiety worse. Ace's hair tickles your cheeks as he leans down, narrowing the space between you. Though the two of you are in the dark, your eyes are wide open, trying in vain to read the expression on his face.

"Was it really because of me?"

The somber tone of Ace's voice stabs right through your heart. You never thought he of all people would have self-doubt, but it seems he hid it well beneath his broad smile and confidence. It leaves you wondering where this insecurity is coming from and a chill sweeps over you despite Ace's closeness when you realize it may have to do with his parents. He never spoke about his father but he had briefly told you about his mother once and showed you her picture he kept in his wallet. 

You're so _stupid_.

You reach up with both hands, faltering just shy of touching his skin. When he doesn't do or say anything to stop you, you rest your palms on his cheeks with your fingers twining in his wavy hair. "Yes it was. I'm always being encouraged to try new things so when you started asking about me and showing up at the hotel and the beach and even my school, the pressure wasn't any different. But you wouldn't go away when I ignored you or turned you down; you kept coming back for more. You pissed me off so much and you knew it and then that day..." You pause to take a quick breath, face feeling as though it'll burst into flame because of what you're about to admit, and blunder on before he speaks up or you lose your courage to keep going, "What you said that day... you were right and I... I said yes because of you, not Takeshi or anyone else. I wouldn't... have said it if I didn't like you."

The heavy lull following your admission only allows you to take shallow and slow breaths to keep from making a sound. Your heart is beating at a frantic pace, blood rushing loudly through your veins as you wait on edge for him to say something, anything. 

Your breath catches in your throat when his nose tenderly rubs yours before a hand cups one side of your face and a fervent kiss is pressing against your lips. You respond with equal intensity, drawing a breath through your nose when your lungs ache from lack of air, and a faint whine escapes you when his mouth pulls away just enough to break the contact of your lips.

Ace's chuckle vibrates on your skin but he doesn't move to kiss you again. "See, that wasn't so hard to admit." He is absolutely beaming - it's blatant in his voice how happy you've made him.

You can't say you feel the same joy. No, what you're feeling is more akin to... shock and disbelief slowly turning to just plain anger. He just- just- _tricked_ you. He knew you lacked the nerve to tell him everything you'd just said and used your lame attempt at teasing to draw it out of you. You can't blame him, you aren't exactly telling him how you feel at every available moment, but there are better ways to go about it.

Never had you had the urge to hit him; not during those months when he annoyingly seemed to show up everywhere you went, not when he comforted you or tried to make you laugh in your worst times, not even at his gentle teasing; not until this moment right now. Eyes narrowing nearly to slits, you frown up at him through the dark, contemplating if a head butt will hurt you more than him.

"Hey, there's no reason to be mad," he tries placating you, sensing your silence means nothing good for him. No reason? Oh, you could think of one right now. The fingers of the hand on your face brush your temple before curling in your hair. "No one knows but me." He does have a point... Your frown softens. "Besides," Ace goes on, grin still audible, "you never told me why you changed your mind and finally said yes; I was curious. And I want to hear that you like me too every once in a while."

You nearly choke, anger withering instantly; how can you possibly stay mad at him after _that_? He and Luffy have that same damnable ability to dissolve your anger at them with the simplest words. "It's fine... I guess," you confess. It's impossible not to smile even a little as his nose lovingly brushes yours again. 

"Sorry I scared you." 

You sputter. "Y-you didn't scare me!" Like hell you'd admit to that.

"Right, sorry." The smothered amusement in his voice tells you he doesn't buy it one bit. "We better get some sleep," Ace changes the subject before you can more vehemently deny your fear, untangling his hand from your hair and flopping onto his back in his previous spot next to you. Curling up against Ace's side, you rest your head on his shoulder, eyes closed, as his arm wraps around your back and his hand rests on your waist. "I promised Luffy we'd go visit you tomorrow." 

That definitely catches your attention. "You did?" you question, lifting your head for a moment and brushing some annoying hair from your face. 

"Yeah, I thought we could just spend the day at the beach since he kept asking me when we could go back to that barbecue place you showed us. I hadn't seen you in a while either." His fingers toy with the hem of your shirt, grazing your bare skin beneath. "He'll be in here the second he's awake to get me up."

You chuckle at that, letting your arm lay across his toned torso which rises and falls slowly with his breaths. "Matsushima's isn't even open that early; what were you going to distract him with until it opened?"

"Hmm." Ace sleepily hums. His fingers dip beneath your shirt to leisurely skim over your skin which causes you to shiver at the touch. "We would've gone to your apartment first to get you since you're up early."

"And what about after that?"

"We'd think of something." 

"We still need to," you point out, yawning afterwards.

"In the morning." Ace turns his head and nuzzles your hair, his lips tickling a bit as he says, "Let's get some sleep."

You give a drowsy murmur in agreement, snuggling your head against his shoulder. No words are needed now; the steady _ba-bump_ of his heartbeat only pulls you deeper toward sleep. The warmth of his body is soothing and the delicate kiss to your forehead draws a satisfied sigh from your lips. The slow circles massaged on your skin by his fingertips are what finally send you to sleep.


End file.
